Bangladesh would look back at their first game against England with a bit of optimism, as the batsmen did perform well against the hosts in alien conditions.
The game was lost mainly due to some poor team selection from Bangladesh’s perspective, as playing a spin bowling all-rounder over a genuine wicket taker like Taskin Ahmed was never the right choice. Keeping that as history now, the Tigers would be eager to improve when they take on Australia in their second fixture.
It was in England itself when Bangladesh announced their intentions on the big stage when they defeated Australia way back in 2005. They have surely come a long way since then and now are among the most impressive outfits around.
Considering how vulnerable Australia was against New Zealand in their first game, Bangladesh would surely fancy their chances. For them to succeed though, the bowling would have to improve to a great extent and that would have to be supported by some really proactive out-fielding.
Recent form:
Bangladesh began their campaign with a loss to England at The Oval in the tournament opener on the 1st of June. Batting first, Tamim Iqbal proved his class yet again with a delightful century at the top and found great support in Mushfiqur Rahim, as the two toyed with the England bowling.
However, both got out at the wrong time and Bangladesh did fall a few runs short of what seemed to be the par total.
England’s batting sensation Joe Root had no hesitation in chasing down the target, as he piled up a superb ton. Root was well assisted by a free flowing 95 from Alex Hales right at the top of the order.
Talking Points:
As far as the team composition is concerned, the spin bowling of Mosaddek Hussain brings very little to the table. Rather than going with a bits and pieces player, the side is much better off by giving Taskin Ahmed a free hand. Ahmed has been a consistent performer for the side in the last couple of years and his stats just second that statement.
Against a team like Australia, Bangladesh needs to be extremely aggressive and Taskin will just offer that.
Sabbir Rahman is a very talented batsman and batting just at the death doesn’t justify his talent one bit. The team management just gets this right and ensure that Rahman doesn’t bat below number four. The more time he spends in the middle, the more dangerous Bangladesh will get as a side.
Bangladesh Predicted XI:
- Tamim Iqbal 2. Soumya Sarkar 3. Imrul Kayes 4. Sabbir Rahman 5. Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 6. Shakib-al-Hasan 7. Mahmudullah 8. Mashrafe Mortaza (c) 9. Taskin Ahmed 10. Rubel Hussain 11. Mustafizur Rahman